He needed the money to pay off bills and start a new life with his lover, Stefanie Goller.

Cilliers was planning a new life with Ms Goller while also sleeping with his ex-wife Carly Cilliers, and arranging unprotected sex sessions with prostitutes.

The extent of his money problems was also revealed in messages sent between the married couple in December 2014 as their relationship began to break down.

Det Insp Paul Franklin, of Wiltshire Police, said Cilliers had shown “nothing but contempt” for his family.

‘Heavy burden’

“On two separate occasions he made serious attempts to murder Victoria – one of these also endangered the lives of his two young children,” he said.

“His selfish motives were simple – he believed that by killing Victoria his financial problems would be solved, his army career would continue with no danger of Victoria trying to damage it, and he could continue his illicit affair with his girlfriend.

“He has failed to accept any responsibility for his actions which reinforces our view that he is a cold, calculating and callous man whose only duty of care is to himself.”

Mr Justice Sweeney said he would be seeking a report from the probation service to establish the “dangerousness” of the defendant.

“The burden now falls on me on what to do as far as this defendant is concerned, that too is a heavy burden,” he said.

A date for sentencing has not yet been set.

The jury also convicted him of a third count of damaging a gas fitting recklessly endangering life.